Whoa! Hold on a minute... Before you get upset or give up hope, or use WD-40...
One of the first things I look for when I work on a car engine that has been
dormant
for a while is has it frozen up... Your first notice of water in the oil was a
good
indication that there would be problems, as most of us recognised a potential
head
gasket problem, not an unusual thing with a B engine. The gasket is metal, or
has
metal parts depending on who made it, and a "blown gasket" simply means it no
longer
seals.
What likely happened is the prior owner blew the gasket, had billowing white
smoke
out his tailpipe (from the steam) and parked it. The resulting moisture caused
the
cylinders to surface rust and the cast iron rings to rust and seize to the
cylinder
walls.
Best thing for you to do is get a penetrating oil, the best is PB Blaster, soak
that
in the cylinders and get the pistons moving. Then pull the engine, dismantle
it and
take it to a machine shop for a hot bath and examination. Take the head too,
they
can check and see how bad the situation is.
Don't feel bad. I had the same problem (head gasket/seized rings) when I first
got
my 78 B. But the engine is strong, and I am glad I had the chance to work on
it,
and get it the way I wanted. Its a good learning experience, especially if you
have
little experience. Get a Haynes or Bentley manual, and have some fun. If you
have
to pay someone to do it, it will definitely cost you some bucks. But you pulled
the
head, the carb, intake and exhaust manifolds, you are half way there. Go for
it. You
can get parts easily, and the expertise is on the list for the cost of your
internet
subscription.
We are all in the same boat. There has been a lot of talk here about putting so
much money into the cars, and we all know we may barely cover the cost of the
parts,
never the labor if we sold these things. But there is more than economics at
play
here. Stick around, you will know what I mean. These little cars have
personality
and a kind of spirit of their own. And it pays you back in many other ways
besides
resale value.
Good Luck, and keep us posted
David Lynes, Woodstock, Georgia
73 Midget
78 MGB
wouldn't mind having a chrome bumper B project...
Michael P. Thelen wrote:
> Hello everyone!
>
> I am the one who had water in the oil a couple of days ago in my '73 MGB.
> I changed out the oil, oil filter, put a battery on the car and tried to
> turn her over. Didnt start right away, so I put her in gear and tried to
> rock her. She didnt budge.
>
> Way led onto way, and before the night was over I ended up taking off the
> head. The head gasket seemed in tact. I thought a blown head gasket
> meant the gasket was physically torn or had a hole blown in it. Mine is
> made of more like a metallic material and was still in tact. However, I
> saw "rust trails" between cylinders 2 and 3, and the block interface
> showed definite presence of water! The cylinders all had rust in them
> and the pistons are just STUCK!! Two of the valves are also stuck in the
> open position even though it is off the block. I tried putting some
> tansmission fluid in the cylinders to clean them off and some penetrating
> oil once I cleaned out the fluid. After letting her sit for a while,
> I just tried rocking the car and even pushing it down the driveway and
> popping the clutch, only to skid for a couple feet.
>
> Im bummed! This is my first project car. I see potential, but I am not
> sure if I will end up putting more money into it than I will get out of
> it. I see the challenge and actually get a rush out of it. However,
> I dont know for sure if it was soley a gasket problem or how
> much it will take to fix this problem. I am enthusiastic about MGs now
> but I am frustrated with my own. What is my next step, How much does it
> cost to fix this problem, and what else should I be looking for in terms of
> problems (or should it be in terms of cars?)? Any inputs would be greatly
> appreciated!
>
> Frustrated but Hopeful,
>
> -
>Mike -
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